Signal means usable by golf players



Feb. 27, 1940.

' T. J. ROBERTS SIGNAL MEANS USABLE BY GOLF PLAYERS Original Filed Sept.' 27, 1935 Thomas -a m e5 @berg- Patented Feb. 27, 1940 I SIGNAL MEANS UsABLE BY GOLF PLAYERS Thomas James Roberts, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Application September 27, 1935, Serial No. 42,438. Renewed August v9, 1939.l In Australia October 5 Claims.

This invention relates to signal means usable by golf players.v

j The object of the invention is to provide audible signal means for golf players which is of vsimple construction' and when attached to a wrist-joint or forehead of a player will respond to movements of the player and thereby indicate by audible signals certain faults in playing.

In the explanation of themovements of the player and the operation of the said means as below-mentioned, it is assumed that the player is a right-handed player and would have the left-hand uppermost on the shaft of the club.

In the playing of golf, it is an accepted rule that when the left arm of the player is taking the club on its back swing, that his left arm should be kept straight, the wrists of the player being' cocked or bent back at the top position of said back swing. Further, at the top` of said back swing the body and arms should be steady with no relaxing of grip on club and after beginning the down swing, there should be no hesitation and such swing should be carried right through. Again any movement of the head of the player during the swing should be in a horizontal plane that is to say, not. tilted from side to side.

The signal means according to the present inl vention comprises a tube or like casing which is made'of non-sonorous material except at its opposite ends which are made of sonorous mate rial such as metal. i

One end of the tube is closed and the other end thereof has an opening therein for the emission of sound. Within the tube isa freely movable ball. The tube is mounted on the upper surface of a base.' The base is provided with oppositely disposed angular slots or with a plurality of spaced stops on the upper surface of the base with which th-e tube is engageable, the tube being pivoted tothe base for such purposes and the latter having a fastening strap.

The base is worn on the left wrist-joint of a right-handed player or the rightfwrist-joint of a left-handed player with the tube pointing towards the thumb of the player. Adjustability of the tube in relation to the thumb of the hand on the wrist-joint of which the basey is worn or the horizontal position thereof when the base is worn on the forehead can be effected by either v providing the base with angularly arranged slots Certain players in making the swing of the club swing same in an upright manner and others in a iiat arc causing the ball in the tube to f travel at different speeds; for use by either player a slight adjustment of vthe tube in relation to the wrist-joint is necessary. v

The said signal means are adapted to register a definite instant signal at the top of a properly executed back swing of the club by a player and faults in his performance Aare indicated by premature, slow or double signals.

On the pendulum-like motion'of the straight left arm of the player in making back swing of the club the ball will remain in normal. position at the lower end of 'the tube until such swing has been nearly completed, when it will move to the opposite end of the tube, the cooking of the wrists of the player accelerating the speed of the ball in the tube and causing it to instantly strike such end of the tube on the completion of such properly executed back swing of the club.

mit;

l ffl Should the player in said back swing of :the

club bend his left arm, the ball will strike the said opposite end of the tube before the completion of said swing .and thereby give a premature audible signal. i

Again, if the player should swing the club back with his left arm straight but with noncocking of his wrists, the ball will roll slowly from the lower end of the tube to the opposite end thereof and the striking of the ball against such end will give an audible signal which will'not be heard at the moment when the back swing is completed, but will be somewhat deferred-because the cooking of the players wrist is necessary to give suflicient'impetus to the ball and to l make sure'that` the signal sounds simultaneously with the completion 'of the back swing.

Any unsteadiness of the body or arms of the player or relaxing of the grip on the club` by him at the top of the back swing thereof or any hesitancy after beginning the down swing will cause the player, that is in a horizontal plane, the bally will remain stationary in the tube and no audible signal will be given thereby but if he tilts his head from side to sidethe ball will roll in the tube and will strike that end of the tube to which the head is tilted and thereby an audible signal will be given.

As the signal means can be used by different players either on their wrist-joints or foreheads, it is necessary that the tube in which the ball is located should be made adjustable for utilization by the different players either by allowing for adjustability of -the positions of the tube by the adjusting of the securing strap in relation to the base for the tube, or by adjusting the tube for desired positions thereof on the base plate provided therefor. When :the signal means are being used on the wrist-joint of the player the tube before playing is commenced `must be adjusted so that its forward end will point towards the thumb of the player, andwhen the signal means are being used on the forehead of the Iplayer the tube before play is commenced must be adjusted so that it will lie horizontally of the players forehead. i

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a perspective View depicting audible signal means afxed to the wrist-joint of a player; Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional ,views thereof; Fig. 4 shows said audible signal means attached to the-forehead of a player; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of modied audible signal means.

Referring to Figs. l to 3, the audible signal .--means may be carried on the wrist-joint l of a ,the thumb of the player.

r1. 4a Figs. l to 3 are depicted as applied to the fore player. Such means comprise a tube 2 of suitable design which is open at one end 3 and closed at the other end d; tube 2 is preferably made of non-sonorous material but its ends 3 and il are of sonorous material. The tube 2 can be mounted on a base plate 5 which is furnished with oppositely disposed angular slots o for the rec-eption of a wristlet band 1. When mounted upon the wrist-joint I the tube 2 must point towards The angular slots enable the tube 2 to be set in proper position when the plate 5 is placed upon either of the wrist-joints l of the player. Within the tube 2 is a ball 22 adapted to freely move therein.

In Fig. l th-e audible signal means shown in head of a player, the wristlet strap 'i being substituted by a head band 34, and the ytube 2 being horizontally disposed on the forehead of the player.

The audible signal means shown in Fig. 5 have a tube Hi and associated sonorous striker plates Il. Such tubel i6 is pivotally mounted upon a base plate I8 which is furnished with. a plurality of spaced stops I9 with which is adapted to engage a button 20, the latter being aixed to the tube Hi, whereby the tube I6 may be placed in any suitable angular position in relation to the plate i8. Tube Hialso carries a freelymovable ball 22, and the tube i6 has therein an ropening l for emission of sound. A securing strap 1 is attachable to the plate I8.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Signal device for golf players, comprising a support, meansto attach said support to portions of a playersbodywhich are to perform an exactly prescribed sequence of movements when the player executes a correct swing of the club, and means on said support to produce audible signals, said signal means including: a longitudinal casing having an opening therein forthe emission of sound, andvsonorous end members, and a ball freely movable in said casing so asf to cooperate with said sonorous end members at,- predetermined stages of each correct swing.A

2. Signal device, as .claimed in claim 1, comprising further means associatedwith said support for adjusting said casing to the desired position with respect to the body portion to which said support is attached.

3. Signal device, as claimed in claim i l, in which said support consists of a base plate hav-V ing oppositely disposed angular slots therein, and said attaching means compris-esa strap secured to said base plate and passing through said slots whereby angular adjustment of said support may be effected with respect to said strap and' to the body portion to which it is attached.

4. Signal device, as claimed in claim 1, in

which said support consists ofa base plate, said relative to said b-ase plate.

' THOMAS-.JAMES ROBERTS. -Y

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